


thaw a frozen heart

by ZeGabz



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Frozen AU, implied Outlaw Queen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-26
Updated: 2013-12-26
Packaged: 2018-01-06 05:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1102709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeGabz/pseuds/ZeGabz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frozen (ish) Captain Swan AU. Killian Jones seeks out the famed Snow Queen to end the tormenting winter plaguing the Enchanted Forest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	thaw a frozen heart

He had heard many stories of the ruler of the Enchanted Forest, the Snow Queen who had taken back what was rightfully her family’s with eyes of ice and magic beyond compare. He had heard of her compassionate heart and steely gaze, had heard of her ruthless ambition for peace. This paradoxical Queen who could freeze the hearts of anyone she dared but chose not to because her late parents would not approve.

But nothing, nothing in the world, could prepare him for standing in her presence.

She stands above him, cool eyes observing him with an aloof dignity that gives him the urge to fall to his knees before her.

No one could know that he knew her back when she was all golden sunshine and warm smirks, back when her hair wasn’t white and pulled back in an ice tiara, but blonde and falling over her shoulders in loose curls. No one could know that her lips, now slightly chapped with bitter cold and a cool pink, used to be soft like rose petals and fantastically pliant against his in the depths of the night.

Her people would not approve. No one can remember that this ruler of theirs that they worshiped as a goddess was once as human as could be.

His blue eyes meet hers and for a moment, he thinks he spies a flash of warmth in them, but it disappears as quickly as it came.

"My advisors tell me that you have important information regarding my kingdom’s safety," she says in a loud, booming voice that echoes through her palace’s halls. "What is it that you wish to share?"

"If your Majesty wishes," Hook replies, eyes never leaving hers, "I would rather divulge this information in private."

Grumpy, who is one of the few remaining advisors to Emma who would remember Hook, gives him a hard look before bluntly telling the rest of her advisors to leave. When the hall is cleared, Emma slowly descends from her throne and approaches him.

"There’s nothing serious happening, is there, Hook?" she asks softly. "You just wanted to see me."

"Very arrogant of you, Majesty," Hook replies with a smirk, "For all you know I could have moved on from our … dalliance."

"Is that all it was to you?" Emma asks.

"You know what it was to me," Hook responds instantly, "You know I loved you." The words flow freely from his mouth, the words that had previously been his greatest fear. Emma smiles for a brief moment.

"And now?"

"I don’t know who you are. Your hair is white, your skin is pale, your eyes are ice, and the entire bloody kingdom is in winter!"

The Queen’s eyes widen. “The kingdom is in WHAT?”

Hook sighs. He had, in fact, come for very serious reasons. “The snow began a month ago, and hasn’t stopped since.”

"I would know if-" Emma begins angrily.

"-your advisors are trying to protect you, Emma," Hook interjects, daringly using her true name, "Why do you think the visits stopped? They were filtered through. The only reason I was allowed in is because Grumpy came to his senses and told your precious council I wouldn’t speak of it!"

Emma stares at him in horrified silence, her hands clutching into fists.

"You’re lying," she whispers, voice breaking in fear, "You’re a pirate, and pirates lie, please Hook, don’t-"

"I’m sorry," he murmurs, reaching out to caress her cheek, "I’m so sorry, Emma, but you must end this."

* * *

His pirate skills are put to good use as he sneaks her out of the palace under the shadows of the night, like they used to when the grass was green and she would smile for more than a fleeting moment.

"This is nice," he comments with a wink as he helps her over an icy patch on their path. "Good to see that you still have some of your old self inside you."

"I’m going to pretend you aren’t talking," Emma mutters. Picking up her light blue gown, she sighs. "You wouldn’t happen to have some traveling clothes packed?"

"Oh, but you look so lovely in that gown, my Queen," Hook purrs, inching closer to her.

"And cold," she adds with an icy (pun most certainly intended) glare. "You did not give me time to get my cloak."

"I thought the Snow Queen would not need her cloak," he replies, "Emma, on the other hand-"

"Is no longer yours to toy with," she cuts in, "Enough." Drawing herself up and looking, if possible, even more imposing than she did upon her throne, she mutters, "The cold never bothered me anyway."

They reach a small merchant’s village, and Emma waits near the edge of it while Hook fetches her a less conspicuous dress and boots.

She’s facing away from him when he returns, gently whirling snow into the air and then letting it drift back to the ground. The snow glows white, blue, and purple. Emma, lost in her magic and totally in her element, is dazzling as a queen could ever be, eyes shut in tranquility and bliss.

"You’re staring," she murmurs, not turning, as she propels more snow into the air, shaping it into a snowball. "Do you have our supplies?"

"If I answer yes," Hook asks, "Could you keep doing whatever it is you’re doing?" The snowball hurls towards him, hitting him square in the heart. Emma turns then, eyes rolling and lips curving into half a smile.

Wordlessly, he tosses her the dress, cloak, and boots he procured, and doesn’t avert his eyes as she slips out of her gown.

"Enjoy the view," she says calmly, "Because you will be blind in ten seconds." He grins, looking away. "And thank you." The silence between them sits heavily.

"So what next?" Hook asks, "What is your plan for stopping this winter?"

"We will seek out Regina," Emma replies, continuing their trek. "She will know how to fix this."

"Pardon me, Majesty," Hook says, "But isn’t Regina your mortal enemy?"

"Do you remember how my parents died?" Emma deadpans.

"Of course." Everyone in the kingdom was aware of how the great Snow White and Charming met their ends. A Wicked Witch, with emerald green skin and fiery red hair had sieged the Enchanted Forest for years in an endless quest for power after her attack on the realm of Oz had failed. Snow and Charming were murdered in open court by the Witch herself as Emma watched on, helpless to save them.

"A Queen does not take revenge," Emma murmurs, "But exiled Queens do not abide by the same rules I must."

Understanding washes over him. “So you trust her because she took your revenge for you?”

"That and more."

"More?"

"She met someone. A bandit. Apparently sent to kill her, but couldn’t carry out the deed."

"And?"

"They fell in love." He stops in surprise, and Emma halts ahead of him, turning around. "He has a son named Roland," she says. "Regina changed for him. For both of them. A miracle if ever I saw one."

"And now you’re … friends?" Emma snorts.

"Not even slightly," she replies, "But she is a powerful ally to have. She taught me how to control my magic." Glancing at the icicles hanging from the tree branches above them, she adds, "Or so I thought."

"I find it hard to believe she could change so drastically," Hook says warily, "Emma, are you sure-"

"People change," she replies coldly, "Though I am now seeing you wish it weren’t so."

"Your parents’ death changed you."

"Your powers of observation are astounding."

"Emma."

"You," she snarls, "Will address your Queen in the proper manner!" Hook simply stares at her, all cold beauty and misplaced grief and fury.

"As you wish," he replies.

* * *

Throughout the kingdom, the snowstorm rages on.

Hook observes that the blizzard is worsening to Emma the next morning as she ignores him during breakfast. She doesn’t spare him a glance, but her fists clench just a little tighter. The days go by, and the snow continues to fall.

Regina’s palace is in sight before the blizzard becomes so severe that the pair is forced to take shelter in a small cave until the sun rises.

Emma stares into the fire Hook manages to make, as if it could tell her how to put an end to frozen apocalypse she’s created. He watches her, wanting to say something, anything, to end her agony, but knowing he cannot. The Snow Queen does not accept comfort.

"You can stop looking at me like that." Emma’s voice breaks the silence.

"Like what?"

"Like I’m a ghost." A humorless smile tugs at her lips. "I may look it, but I am not dead yet."

"You might as well be," Hook mutters under his breath. He knows she hears him, because she speaks no more, and he gives up on trying.

In the firelight, her hair almost, just almost, looks like it did in the old times. Hook wants to reach out and unpin it, see how far down her back it can go, and follow its trail with soft kisses. The orange and golden flickers of light warm her entire self, and when her eyes close, she looks like she did on their last night together, before everything went to hell.

"I sometimes wonder what kind of a queen I would have been," Emma says quietly, "If I had come into power at the right time. If my parents had lived out the rest of their years as they should." She looks over at him, curious. Unspoken are the words, _And would you still have been at my side?_

"You would have been a marvelous Queen," Hook assures her, "Your people would make art of you as the sun, dance to music about your eternal beauty. You’d be the Sun Queen," he says with a teasing smile. Emma rolls her eyes. "What?"

"You’re still such a romantic," she chuckles. Her eyes dim, growing sad again. "But there is no use distracting myself with possibilities. My parents are dead. I am the Queen now, and I have plunged the kingdom they fought so hard for into misery."

"You did not know-"

"I should have known." Her eyes are fierce with self-hatred. "I should have figured it out, seen the signs." Rising, she turns to him. "How many do you think have perished in this storm? How many have suffered because of my ignorance?"

"Emma."

"Stop calling me that!" The screamed words cut through the chilled air like a dagger. "I am not Emma. Not anymore. I haven’t been the girl who loved you in years." Her voice trembles. "Stop trying to bring her back."

Hook stares her down, unfazed. “You must be the most self-centered woman I have ever encountered!” he retorts. “I am not calling you Emma because I ‘want you back’ or because I supposedly miss you. I am calling you that because it’s your bloody name!” He turns away, slamming his good hand into the cave walls, relishing the pain. “Not everything I do is about loving you, Emma, and even if it was, you have no right to shove the fact that my feelings are not mutual in my face!”

A gust of wind blows into their little shelter, blowing wisps of Emma’s white hair into her face. Her eyes, unhidden, look at him with such grief that he almost apologizes on the spot.

"You’re right," she says finally. "I am sorry." Her words are almost a whisper, unsteady and weak as he feels.

"So am I," he replies. She nods and retreats deeper into the cave. "Need me to start a fire, love?" he calls, out of habit.

She does not reply.

* * *

The next morning, she wakes him up with a snowball to the face. He jumps up in surprise, and is shocked to see her standing at the mouth of the cave, a silhouette against snow sparkling in the sun.

"The storm is passed," he observes stiffly, as memories of the previous night and their harsh words return to him. Her bright smile, one he cannot remember seeing on their entire journey, falls a bit, and he suddenly regrets bringing back up their conflict. The two watch each other warily for a long moment, and then she finally says:

"I would have liked to be called the Sun Queen."

He accepts her peace offering with a snowball of his own that hits her in the shoulder.

* * *

Regina is seated with Robin Hood and Roland at supper when Hook and Emma arrive. Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise as Emma strides in fearlessly. Roland, Emma’s elder by about three years, spits out his drink in shock.

"Emma!" Regina greets, "What a surprise." Her eyes roam up and down her figure with curiosity. "The white hair suits you."

Emma gives a nod of greeting to Robin and Roland before fully facing Regina. “A surprise?” she questions.

"You haven’t left the palace since-" Emma’s eyes harden. "Why the sudden change?"

"This winter," Emma answers, "I did this. I don’t know how I did. I thought I had control of my magic, but I can feel it now, and I realize that-"

"The magic is in control," Regina finishes.

"I need your help," Emma implores, "Please."

Regina looks over at her family of twenty years now, and upon receiving an encouraging nod from her husband, rises.

"When did your control begin to slip?" she asks.

"The day my parents died," Emma replies. "After they were killed … I changed. Everything about me. My hair, my skin, even my powers."

"Your powers?" Regina questions, "How so?"

"Everything was manifested in ice and snow instead of light," she answers.

"And why do you think that is?"

"I-I don’t know," Emma responds, "I-if I did I would not have come all the way here." Regina rolls her eyes.

"Magic is driven by emotion. Whether the emotion is hatred or fear or hope is irrelevant, but the form magic takes often depends on the caster." Her eyes darken. "Your heart, specifically, controls how your power manifests."

"What are you getting at, then?" Emma pushes.

"Your grief froze your heart," Regina says simply. "Not literally, of course, but if I were to take out your heart right now, I am almost positive it would be blue instead of red or golden." Emma frowns. "You are the product of true love. Your powers affect everything and everyone around you. They can break curses … or cause them."

"So you’re saying that I’ve cursed everyone?" Regina shrugs. "So how do I break it then?" Regina snorts.

"How does one break any curse?"

* * *

Emma doesn’t even look at him as the two begin their journey back to her palace. True love’s kiss hangs in the air between them, but neither dares to suggest it could even be possible. Not with so much still unsaid.

The blizzard has returned, and stronger than ever. Emma howls in conjunction with the gales, desperation taking over her being. Hook wants to hold her, wants to whisper wonderful nothings into her ear, but he knows she would shun him, push him away as she always does.

They take shelter in a small inn near the palace when visibility reaches the extent of their arms. The room has one bed, and he takes it, since Emma roots herself at the window and refuses to budge.

"Say something," she says after an hour of silence. "Please."

"I don’t wish to argue with you, love," Hook sighs, "And every conversation we have ends in one."

Emma turns from the window, laying down on the bed beside him, achingly close. “I’ve been thinking,” she says slowly, “About what Regina said. And I know you have been too.” Something springs up, unbidden, inside Hook, and he can see the wild fear and hope reflected in Emma’s eyes.

"Awfully presumptuous," he murmurs, already leaning in. His lips meet cool fingers, held up to stop him.

"Not now," she whispers. "Not yet."

* * *

He waits.

Emma returns to her palace and is severely scolded by Grumpy and the entire council, but as they yell and hug her and ask questions, her eyes remain on him. He offers her a small smile. She returns it.

He waits.

A month passes, and the blizzards end. Snow still falls, but it’s no storm. Emma appoints Hook to her High Council, ignoring the horrified objections of her peers. After the ceremony officially welcoming him to Court, he kisses her hand, and she slaps him gently on the cheek, a small smile still on her face.

He waits.

It’s a slow process. At first, he doesn’t even notice it. But little by little, Emma’s frosty white hair warms back into its natural blonde color. Her ghostly pale skin tans slightly, her lips moisten. He wants to kiss them, but still he does not.

He waits.

In legends to come, the people of the Enchanted Forest will call it the Great Thaw. The sun returns, and for once stays. Daffodils and buttercups bloom from patches of snow, grass greens again. Rivers flow mightily, fish re-appear in lakes. Boats come in and out of port, and summer once again reigns supreme.

Hook runs into Emma in the gardens one bright morning and is speechless. Flowers adorn her hair, and she wears a simple, pale yellow gown that bares her back to the dawn. “You’re still here?” she asks teasingly, smirking.

"I would wait for you forever, Emma," he says back, unashamed and unafraid.

She kisses him then, in the warmth of the sunlight with a laugh caught in her lips and a sparkle in her eye. Pulling away, she whispers:

"Thank you."

"For what?" he asks, peppering kisses into her hair and wanting more, more, more.

"You helped me stop this," she replies, pulling back and placing a hand on his cheek. "An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart."

**Author's Note:**

> This little piece is a chapter in Almosts and Might Have Beens on fanfiction.net, but I wanted it to be a standalone piece as well.


End file.
